COMPLAINTS Policy

We are committed to delivering our mission and objectives through providing a quality service. One of the ways in which we can continue to improve our service is by listening and responding to the views of our clients and the people we serve, and in particular by responding positively to complaints, and by putting mistakes right. If you believe that things have gone wrong, this page acts as a guide to raising your complaint and how we will respond and deal with it. Our aim is to resolve any problems, or difficulties, quickly and fairly. 

We aim to ensure that: 

  • We treat a complaint as a clear expression of dissatisfaction which calls for an immediate response; 
  • We deal with it promptly, politely and, when appropriate, confidentially; 
  • We respond in the right way – for example, with an explanation, or an apology where we have got things wrong, or information on any action taken etc;
  • We learn from complaints, use them to improve our service, and review annually our complaints policy and procedures.

Scope of the policy

We define a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction that relates to us (as a company and/or with a member of staff) and that requires a formal response. Our complaints procedure is intended to ensure that all complaints are handled fairly, consistently and wherever possible resolved to with satisfaction. The aim is to improve service delivery and to put right any shortcomings that are within our control. 

Our responsibility will be to: 

  • acknowledge the formal complaint in writing; 
  • respond within a stated period of time; 
  • deal reasonably and sensitively with the complaint; 
  • take action where appropriate. 

We ask that anyone wanting to raise a complaint: 

  • brings their complaint, in writing, to our attention as quickly as possible;
  • explains the problem as clearly and as fully as possible, including any action taken to date by us; 
  • allows a reasonable time to deal with the matter;
  • recognises that some circumstances may be beyond our control.

1. Confidentiality

Except in exceptional circumstances, every attempt will be made to ensure that both us and you as the complainant maintain confidentiality. However, the circumstances giving rise to the complaint may be such that it may not be possible to maintain confidentiality (with each complaint judged on its own merit). Should this be the case, we’ll let you know before moving forward and ensure we have put the right processes in place to make them feel safe. 

2. Time limits for making a complaint

Any request for a complaint should be made as soon as possible and, in any case, no later than six months from the date you became aware of, or ought reasonably to have become aware of, the subject of the complaint. This should give you adequate time to consider the issue, and for all relevant facts to remain fresh. Any departure from this time limit will be allowed only in exceptional circumstances, as people and papers involved may no longer be available. 

Our aim is to resolve all matters as quickly as possible. However, inevitably some issues will be more complex and therefore may need longer to be fully investigated. 

Where things are likely to take longer to investigate and resolve, we’ll make sure that we are communicating frequently and clearly on where things are. 

3. How to raise a complaint

Investigation and response

In the first instance please send your complaint in writing via email to 

reporting@thesocialchangenest.org. 

Please tell us the following details: 

  • The details of your complaint, the consequences for you as a result, and what you would like us to do to resolve it; 
  • If your complaint concerns a member of staff, please include the name of the individual concerned; 
  • Information on whether it is an original complaint or a follow-up to a reply you were not satisfied with; 
  • Your contact details. 
 

SCN will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 48 hours by reply to your email. We will include details of the process following the submission of your complaints, including timeframes. 

If you do not feel comfortable writing in, please call us on 0771 287 2277. Our complaints lead will talk to you and acknowledge the details of the complaint in writing so it’s documented for you.

SCN will investigate and provide a full explanation within 15 working days of receiving your complaint. If this is not possible we will explain why and give you a date by which you can expect a full reply. 

All complaints will be forwarded to a Director with a remit for management of complaints. 2

The Director will review and investigate the complaint. They will present their findings to the board within 10 working days (as a special board meeting as appropriate). The board will review the claim and agree actions to address the complaint. 

The decision will be presented back to you, the complainant, by the Director via email within 15 working days of receiving the complaint. 

Appeal

If you are not satisfied with the initial response to the complaint then you can respond to us asking for your complaint and the response to be reviewed. 

Monitoring and actions

All complaints will be logged on an incident register. This will support us in improving our service and the ways we operate. 

The incident log will detail the complaint, whether they are ongoing or resolved complaints, the stage at which the complaint is at in being resolved, any actions agreed in the resolution of the complaints, and progress on delivery of these actions. 

The Director responsible for processing each complaint will be responsible for ensuring that any agreed actions are carried out. 

The incident log will be reviewed at each board meeting and actions will be reviewed to ensure they have been carried out. 

Complaints about the conduct on SCN CIC.

If you have any complaints about the conduct of SCN, or any issue that you believe has not been resolved effectively by the process outlined above, you can contact the CIC Regulator. You can find full details of how to raise a complaint here.